Food Bank To Buy Larger Warehouse, Sell Old Building

The Lehigh Valley Food Bank, which has outgrown its building, could move into a new warehouse in the fall, the executive director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley said yesterday.

The board of directors of the CACLV, which sponsors the food bank, also hired Hawley Realty Inc., Allentown to sell the food bank's 7,600 square-foot building on N. Godfrey Street, Allentown.

Board member Alan Breslin said two locations are under consideration and could be brought to the board for review.

The food bank has outgrown the building it has used to supply a million pounds of food annually to 55 member agencies. Using other sites, it supplies more than 4 million pounds of food to 179 agencies.

The food bank has had to refuse some donations because it didn't have enough storage space, officials said.

Executive Director Alan L. Jennings said the Godfrey Street building would be listed at $185,000. The new building could cost as much as $500,000. The balance would be paid off through a capital campaign, he said.

The two locations under consideration are in Allentown and each has 18,000-22,000 square-feet, loading ramps, access for transportation and handicap access.

"We would like to move fairly quickly," Jennings said.

In other business:

CACLV agreed to provide landlord-tenant mediation services that were provided by Common Ground Mediation Services.

Common Ground ran out of funds 10 months into the current fiscal year. CACLV awarded an emergency grant in May to maintain the program.

Common Ground mediates landlord-tenant disputes that would lead to homelessness.